The Palace of Lost Memories

Chapter 12

"Come 'ere, sweetheart," sneered one of the men. "Stop moving off." He lunged and grabbed my shoulder. His fingers dug through my clothing and into my flesh.

I screamed then threw my basket, cray and all, past him. He and the others dove on it, tearing it apart like ravenous dogs. It bought me precious moments.

"Is there another exit?" I asked the cluster of children nearby. "There'll be a coin in it for you."

One of them pointed at the canvas structure leaning up against the end of the street, its frayed flaps open in invitation. I plucked my purse from my skirt pocket and tossed the girl an ell. The adults looked up from the destroyed cray as if they'd smelled my money. I opened the purse, pulled out all the coins and sprayed them from one side of the street to the other, the purse too. Children, men and women pounced, blocking my pursuer from getting to me.

I passed through the canvas tent and prayed to Hailia that the girl hadn't lied. The tent covered a gaping hole in the wall of a building. I plunged through the hole and into a dim, stuffy room stinking of urine. It was empty. Better still, there was another door on the far side.

The next room was even darker. It was also occupied. I could just make out the shape of a woman sitting in the corner, her legs outstretched. A small child lay beside her, his head resting on her lap. As my eyes adjusted, her desperation came into focus. The boy hardly moved despite being awake.

Behind me, I heard the rabble draw closer, their scavenging finished. "Where is she?" one of the men shouted.

"Get her!" cried another. "Before she escapes!"

Escape. There must be another exit but I couldn't see one, only walls and pieces of wood nailed together to cover holes. The woman sat near a makeshift bed and I could now make out another bed on the opposite side of the wall. A man lay there, asleep or dead.

Outside, the shouts grew louder.

"I'm a healer," I quickly told the woman. "I'll give your boy the medicine he needs for free if I get out of here alive and unharmed. Please, help me."

Boney fingers pushed aside a plank of wood nailed at one end to the wall, revealing a hole. "In there," she said. "Go. I'll tell them you went that way." She nodded at more wooden planks on the other side of the room. They must hide another hole, another exit.

With my heart hammering in my throat, I pushed the planks further aside and climbed through. "You'll find me one street back from the market precinct, under the sign of Hailia's hands. Come tomorrow." I let the wooden panel slide shut and steadied it so that it wouldn't swing.

"Where is she? Where did she go?" a voice on the other side demanded,

I didn't wait to hear the response. A prick of light pinpointed the exit and I raced toward it, only to trip over the uneven surface and land on my hands and knees. It felt like I'd removed some skin, but I didn't pause to check. The light came from a crack between two boards. I pried them apart and peered out. Seeing no one waiting for me, I climbed through and blinked in the fading sunlight.

I recognized the children playing in the dirt beside a sleeping man. I'd circled back and was once again on The Row's main thoroughfare. I picked up my skirts and ran.

I didn't stop until I reached home. The sign of Hailia's cupped hands swung gently with the breeze. That same breeze brought with it the soothing, familiar scent of the sea. I breathed deeply. Hailia, it felt good to be home. Safe.

I sucked in two breaths and concentrated on letting them out slowly to steady my nerves before pushing open the door. "I'm home," I called brightly to Father. "The fishermen had nothing left tonight. Everything's earmarked for the palace."